Bentley
Bentley was the 215th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,649 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 75th; the most babies were born in 2012 (5,895). Over the last ten years it has moved down 123 places. More babies were named Bentley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning bent-grass clearing (place name) · Old English
Say it BENT-lee /ˈbɛntli/
- Rank in 2025
- #215 boys, down 74 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,649boys
- Girls and boys
- 6% girls, 94% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20125,895 babies
- Total since 1880
- 63,562babies recorded
What does the name Bentley mean?
Bentley is an English place name and surname. Wiktionary derives it from Old English Beonetleah, from beonet, 'bent grass', a stiff coarse grass, and leah, 'meadow, clearing'. Several English villages carry the name. It is also widely known as the name of the British luxury car brand, founded by W. O. Bentley in 1919, as Wikipedia describes. As a boy's first name it is a recent American transfer from the surname.
beonet (Old English, “bent grass”)lēah (Old English, “meadow, clearing”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Bently, Bentlee.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bentley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'bentgrass', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Bentley', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Bentley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,468 | #215 | 146 | 1,649 |
| 2020 | #1,746 | #141 | 115 | 2,590 |
| 2010 | #1,064 | #100 | 233 | 3,776 |
| 2000 | #4,421 | #2,432 | 27 | 39 |
| 1990 | #8,566 | #2,558 | 9 | 26 |
| 1980 | — | #2,288 | — | 22 |
| 1970 | — | #1,748 | — | 25 |
| 1960 | — | #1,178 | — | 44 |
| 1950 | — | #2,449 | — | 10 |
| 1940 | — | #1,905 | — | 14 |
| 1930 | — | #1,973 | — | 15 |
| 1920 | — | #2,617 | — | 11 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | #896 | — | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Bentley, counting every spelling?
Bentley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #222 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #215 for Bentley on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,762 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley | 1,649 | #215 | 10,072 |
| Bentlee | 94 | #1,730 | 711 |
| Bently | 19 | #5,060 | 167 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Bentley?
1,649 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bentley (0.46 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bentley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bentley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bentley?
About 59,000 people born in the US named Bentley are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 7 and 14. That makes Bentley a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bentley by state
How common Bentley was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (5.3×), Maine (4.2×), West Virginia (3.8×), Kentucky (3.4×), Mississippi (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Rhode Island, Hawaii, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bentley: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bentley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bentley · Sibling names for Bentley
Questions about the name Bentley
What does Bentley mean?
Bentley means “bent-grass clearing (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bentley?
Bentley was the 215th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,649 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 75th; the most babies were born in 2012 (5,895). Over the last ten years it has moved down 123 places. More babies were named Bentley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Bentley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 6% girls, 94% boys given the name Bentley in the US.
Where is Bentley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bentley was most common in Vermont (6.21 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and West Virginia.